


Trying for a normal life

by Randomjr



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:22:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26668891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Randomjr/pseuds/Randomjr
Summary: Post endgame, pre tv shows. The remaining members of team cap move into a apartment together in Brooklyn to get some independence and try to live like everyone else. However seems that certain powers to be have intentions for the avengers that don’t involve them settling down.First two chapters mostly domestic, more action based further in as shit begins to hit the fan for them.(My way of filling the brigade between endgame, falcon and the winter soldier, WandaVision and hopefully into doctor strange 2. Also plan to have them keeping an eye on Spider-Man seeing as they know he’s a kid)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 4





	1. Moving in

**Author's Note:**

> After Tony’s funeral, Wanda, Bucky and Sam make their final preparations to move into their own place.

After the funeral, Steve made his own way home, turned out he had kids to look after him these days. Sam drove the three of them back to the avengers tower, it wasn’t home, but seeing as their last place that they might call home and been raised to the ground by Thanos, the tower would have to do.  
“Are you joking? No, get in the back, this shield is not going to sit on the floor” was the response Bucky received when he tried getting into the passenger seat, so back round he went and made himself comfortable while they waited for Wanda to finish her goodbyes with Clint. As she walks over Sam hops out, ‘looks like his mother raised a gentleman for the ladies at least’ and opens the door for Wanda, to Buckys dismay he’s opening the passenger seat door and passing the shield back to him.  
“I hate you” is all he can come out with as he’s saddled with Steve shield for the ride back. 

They arrive at the tower, shoes and jackets thrown on the couch, Wanda throws the tv on she never liked the quiet, any background noise was better than the silence they all knew the evening would bring. It had been the funeral of a friend, not a close friend, but still and friend, and they were now living in his old home, even if it was for one last night, it was still a little awkward.  
“Friday can you turn the oven on” at least Bucky had the foresight to prep some food for dinner before they left, he still struggled with the coffee machine from time to time but damn could the guy make a good lasagne.  
Each member of the trio returned to their respective rooms to finish packing, the next morning they had arranged a moving truck and were moving into a apartment in Brooklyn, it wasn’t going to be much, and shield would still be paying for it, but it was going to be a place of their own.  
They didn’t need to live together, they just wanted to. Bucky, having spent much of his life working alone as the Winter Soldier didn’t fancy dealing with the trauma of that on his own. Wanda had become accustomed to having someone around, between her brother, and what to her was the last year with Vision, starting to live alone now wouldn’t be the healthiest decisions she could ever make. And Sam, well he spent the past few years of his life on the run with friends that are no longer around, and the last time he lived alone he was dragged into a secret war with a undercover agency, at least that’s what he told himself, deep down he also kept thinking ‘safety in numbers’.

Sam drove the truck, seeing as he was the only one of them with a valid license. It was nearly noon by the time they left, turns out Bucky had a habit of holding on to things.  
“Where did you even get all this?” Wanda grunted as she loaded the last of his boxes, she could have used her powers, she knew that, but she found it easier not having to worry about being noticed and then judged for being enhanced.  
“Apparently it makes him happy” Sam shut the roller door and walked to the drivers side of the van, joking but still as confused as Wanda.  
“Are you saying I can’t be happy? And to answer you question there’s a old flea market across town, a lot of the stuff looks like things I used to own.”

The apartment wasn’t huge, but for Brooklyn it was a very modest price, it had one bedroom and a bathroom tucked in behind it, but the main area was a spacious open plan kitchen and living room, plus the whole place had loads of natural light, it may have four windows but it was more that enough. The boxes came up first, and without an elevator to the 6th floor, they were definitely not going to be working out tomorrow, then the mattresses. They had no furniture yet so they ended up on the floor.  
“I call the window” Sam says laying his mattress down against the wall with its head in the corner, Bucky rolls his eyes and tucks his in the opposite corner by Sams feet whilst Wanda drags hers to lie against the top of Sams. It struck Bucky that they had essential made a pile to sleep in, they could always tell themselves it was cause it was such a small space.

“Foods here!” She called, and of course they came running. The three of the sat on the floor with their pizzas.  
“So what now? We’re not fugitives anymore but are you two still avengers?” Sam and Wanda looked at each other, clear they both had that thought but neither had the guts to bring it up.  
“Honestly... I don’t know, I think we are. Maria has our numbers and we have our suits, if something comes up and they need us, I’d like to think they’d call. Plus we’re dragging your ass out with us too, I don’t trust you here alone.” Bucky suddenly couldn’t remember why he agreed to move in.  
“Besides even if we’re not avengers, that Peter boy knows how to contact us, and he seemed really eager for Bucky to be part of his history project.” She knew a coy smile would mean she could get away with that.  
“How’s he doing, should we check in on him? He’s just a kid, and from what I can tell Tony was the closest thing he had to a father figure.”  
“Buck your concerns cute, just maybe give him some more time. Until recently, we were still in the group fighting against him for reasons I’m not sure he was never fully aware of.”  
“Max is right, the kid needs to collect himself before three strangers rock up offering him a shoulder to cry on, and if we’re being honest, his aunt looked like she had his needs nailed down to a T, the woman even knew when he wanted tissues. Now that’s a super power.”  
“I have to ask, if that’s his aunties living with, do we think this is his first death he’s dealt with?” Wanda was looking down at her hands playing with a crust.  
No one wanted to think about that, no one wanted to say their thoughts on it either it seemed. And so for a while they stayed quiet.  
“So Wanda and I were thinking of getting some furniture tomorrow, any requests?” Sam had found a way to break the mood, and it became a evening they could chill in. Bucky kept winding them both up claiming he wanted a single black fluffy stool in a corner, Wanda and Sam agreed he could have it only if he called it his brooding stool, and on and on the jokes went. At some point a bottle of wine was opened, a fancy gift from Ms. Potts, once it had been well and truly drained, and Sam and Wanda had gone to bed, could Bucky then let his anxiety take host.  
He had done a lap of the place before moving in, checked everywhere that the winter soldier would think of to hide cameras, weapons, traps, anything malicious, he also made notes of where he might hide such things at a later date. Now that he’d moved in he decided to check the whole place again in case some one had come in in the mean time. It was all clear. His anxiety only slightly eased he decided it was just cause it was a new environment, he would settle in eventually, but he still couldn’t help the feeling that something just wasn’t quite right with their new little home.


	2. Same day delivery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day furniture shop and delivery brings unfriendly guests.

The next morning Bucky couldn’t help but have a cheeky grin on his face seeing his roommates go through their hangover stages. Sam dragged himself out for a run, some old trick he’d learnt back in his days in the military, just sweat it out. Wanda meanwhile had learnt her own tricks from Clint.  
“No morning can be so bad that a cup of coffee can’t at least fix a little bit” that was a phrase he had ingrained into her when she first arrived, Bucky thought it was sweet, even if he didn’t think it worked, he was too much of a gentleman not to put a pot on for her.  
“And how are we feeling now” sarcasm strewn across his face, the look on her face made it very clear if she had the energy his cereal would be on the floor. Three cups and a cold shower later and she was finally able to hold a conversation again, which Bucky found out when he got a pillow to the back of the head while he did the dishes, closely followed by a giggle before Wanda went to get dressed. Once Sam had finished his run, mildly impressed the others hadn’t burnt the place down when he left them alone, he sorted himself out with a cold shower too. It was kinda a unspoken rule, Bucky was still not ok with being cold, Wanda and Sam knew that much, he wouldn’t have a mental lapse or anything he just sort of dug into himself, they always made sure if they showered before Bucky, they would leave enough hot water for him.  
Post lunch, which consisted of sandwiches made with whatever they had remembered to bring with them from the tower, they were ready to go out for the afternoon. Wanda and Sam were going to try and get some furniture for the apartment. Bucky, still not feeling right about the place thought it might be good for him to get out, it was Brooklyn after all, he wanted to see how much had changed.  
“You looking for anything in particular or is this going to be a memory lane stroll?” Sam didn’t want to say it but he wasn’t sure how much would be there that Buck would be familiar with. “And if you get lost, don’t forget you can use google maps, it’s not admitting defeat.” The patronising strong in his tone. It took a group effort to teach Bucky to use his phone, and Sam was not about to let him forget in it in a hurry.  
“Mostly a memory lane walk.” With a lot of scoping out the surroundings, he had to work out why he didn’t feel completely safe. “If I spot a market though, I’m going in, any requests of what you want for dinner?” A fruit stand would just be his icing on the cake if he saw one.  
“Can you get us some rice and pasta, can’t hurt to have the basics, but please no more plums Buck” Wanda’s exasperation made Sam nearly snort his drink, Bucky simply rolled his eyes and smiled. It was now his mission to bring back plums.

It rained the entirety of the afternoon, Bucky cut out some of his time in the rain by leaving after the others, then delayed some more by going back and checking the locks twice. Meanwhile Sam and Wanda avoided the rain by staying in the store for as long as possible. They had decided on a sleek grey table and matching chairs, and while they were at it they got a sofa and a arm chair to put in for the of the tv. Secretly Sam thought it would be a good place to make Bucky sleep if he thought he was being annoying, Wanda on the other hand was eyeing up the sofa as where she could sleep when the boys start bickering.  
“Do we want to look at getting some proper beds while we’re here?” Sam didn’t mind the floor mattress set up they had really but he wasn’t going to force it into their life either.  
“We don’t have to, I mean, we have the mattresses, and we kinda have a lot coming in one order here and...” and she couldn’t bare to not have them too far out of reach. Sam let her sentence drop, between being ex-air force, being on the raft and being on the run, the mattress was more than enough for him. Wanda on the other hand had sent most of her life sleeping with other people within arms reach, Pietro, the rogues and vision all added to a mix of not wanting to have a bed frame between herself and human contact (even from the sofa she would still at least see the guys).  
With their order placed, and some fake names given, Sam and Wanda made their way home, via a coffee shop where Wanda sniggered behind her scarf as Sam shamelessly flirted with the cute barista after Wanda told him she was out of his league. They made it back, baristas number in Sams back pocket, soaked to the bone with rain and shivering to their cores the raced to the bathroom for a hot shower.  
“DIBS” Sam screamed as he bound ahead. At least until his legs went out from under him in a puff of red. “HEY” Too late, the door slammed into his face, “nope come on, dirty trick, out you come or so help me” he pounded on the bathroom door with as much fury as he could muster, until he heard the sound of the shower running, “and here I was thinking Cap had raised you better than this.” Once again he was met with silence.  
Giving in, he went and got changed and started boiling some water to make pasta for dinner, not after he had hidden all of Wanda’s socks and sweaters.  
The food was nearly ready, Wanda texted Bucky to let him know to make his way back, “he’s on his way” she said, from her perch by the window where she had resorted to putting one of Bucks sweater on over the shorts and shirt she had put on after her shower.  
“How come he responds when you text, but when it’s me he ‘forgets’ how to use his phone” Sam was going to have to have a word with him about that. He was in the kitchen area chopping up onions like it was his job, food was a secret talent of his, Sams mother had told him when he was young that a good meal can go a long way, she had made it her mission to teach him how to fend for himself in a kitchen. He may have just been wearing joggers and a tank top but he could feel a chefs hat on his head.  
The furniture couldn’t have had better timing, Sam was just dishing up ready for another meal on the floor when the buzzer rang.  
“Come on up, we’re number 24” Wanda buzzed the guys in, feeling a little giddy that they were about to have a sofa.  
“Evening miss, where do you want these” two white guys in baseball caps entered carrying the dining chairs.  
“Just by the window will be fine guys” Sam answered, as Bucky had decided to take that moment to ring Wanda, who had gone into the bedroom to talk, to say he had missed the turn had overshot their building by three blocks but was on his way still.  
The guy in front looked Sam up and down, and while Sam gave the guy a friendly smile, he responded “If you don’t mind I was talking to the lady.” The other guy looked around as if his friend behaviour didn’t even phase him.  
Wanda hung up the phone down and walked over having not heard the exchange, “Hi, sorry, could you put them over there” she noticed Sam still over by the cooker and thought it odd that given how he usually was he wouldn’t have helped the guys out but rather leave them standing in the doorway.  
The guys left to get the table next, “You good?”  
“Yea, yea no I’m fine” clearly lying “just forgot that some people can be assholes” Wanda didn’t understand, the delivery men had acted perfectly normal when she was in the room, however she was not going to doubt Sam anytime soon, “What happened?”  
Sam put it in the best words possible, tried to let her know it was chill, that he gets it from time to time, she however was not having any of it. So when the table came up and they again asked only Wanda where she wanted it, she didn’t even bother to look up from her plate as she leant over the counter next to Sam, and simply pointed over next to the chairs. After the arrival of the sofa and the arm chair, Wanda paid the delivery men and tried to send them on their way without a word, she didn’t want them around Sam anymore than they had to be. Just as they were walking away they drove their own nail into their coffins, “You could stand to smile more you know sweetie.” Now this Sam had to see.  
“Excuse me” this had to be a joke right, she looked to Sam eyes almost asking him to confirm this joke.  
“I mean I know your with him and all” the talkative guy gestured up and down to Sam “I guess it’s the way he’s raised, he just must not treat you right darling. Go out and get yourself a good proper American, bet that could give you a happier outlook.” Both avengers were seeing red at this point. It didn’t matter that they had assumed they were together, that was not the point they were about to rip this guy to shreds for (and maybe rough up his friend a little for not calling his buddy out).

Buck made it back in the end, and it certainly was not the welcome he was expecting. When he got to the floor below theirs, he could hear shouting, ‘noises neighbours’ he thought. However as he got closer, he knew those voices, but only some, alarm bells started ringing. Fight or flight kicked in, when his friends were involved it was always going to be fight. He flew into the apartment, the door was wide open and two strangers were inside, they were in jeans and blue shirts with caps on, no immediate sign of weapons, that’s good. Regardless, he marched over to the bigger of the two, he had a finger pointed in Sams face and was spitting angry words at him, Wanda looked like she was about to throw hands with the guy in front of her but Bucky knew she had her side under slightly more control. Stepping in Bucky gave his guy a hearty shove backwards, “what the hell, who the hell are you” turns out no one had actually noticed Bucky arrive, later he would be secretly proud of how stealthy he was even with two avengers in the room. The guy was still upright but clearly seething at being interrupted, chest heaving up and down, he clearly still wanted to fight, but upon looking at Bucky, seeing the size of the guy, he knew the pair of them were definitely outmatched.  
Giving his friend a nod to the side, indicating to move. “We’ll be going, but don’t think for a second that you’re going to make it in the long run here.” He spat at Sam before going. When they had both left and Bucky had shut and locked the door, the footsteps faded until they heard a thud at the end of the corridor and turned to see red mist returning back to the apartment, she wasn’t going to let them go without some retribution.  
They ate in silence, no one is ready to explain what just happened when they are still wound up. After finishing up and doing the dishes Bucky chose to break the stillness in the air. “Sam, are you ok?” He didn’t knowing everything that happened but he had picked up the most of the fight from the few words he had caught.  
It took him a second to respond, but with a deep sign he heaved himself out of the arm chair and walked over, “Shit happens man, things like that you can only really nod your head and move on” not content that this was the healthiest way his friend could look at the situation Bucky worked his way to keep discussing it for a bit, he really had learned a lot in his short time in therapy. Sam knew he shouldn’t keep thing bottled up and Bucky was as safe a person as he could find to left his feelings out to. When Sam finished his glass of wine he wrapped up, sufficiently content now after the talk, or as content as he could be after something like that, he finally got to walk off and have his shower.  
Buck made his way over to Wanda, who still hadn’t said a word and was now three glasses of wine down. She had her head in her hands and was sitting on the sofa, he could see she wasn’t crying, but he was definitely not ok to leave her there. He settled with putting his hand on her shoulder, and gave her back a supportive rub with his thumb. She leaned back into the comforting touch as Bucky perched himself on the back to the couch so he could see her properly.  
He gave her a minute then got to what his biggest mystery of the day was, “By the way, why are you wearing my sweater, I don’t mind it, I’m just certain last I checked you still had clean ones of your own?”  
“Ah yes they went missing.” She still had her eyes closed but the memory was happy enough to make her grin, “It was a revenge hiding, but I would be grateful if you would help me look... please.” 

Unknown to the trio, when the delivery men had made it to their truck after leaving their apartment, they got in and kicked the now naked and still unconscious men further back into the space that had been created by the furniture leaving. The smaller of the two who had gotten the best look around pulled out a cell phone and made a call while they drove away.  
“Location confirmed, all three parties are present. The area on the fourth floor, apartment 24, open plan, 1 bedroom, 1 exit, 4 windows in total, 3 visible for sights on the opposing rooftop, fire escape at the end of the hall way”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, guess who got another chapter done, would love some feedback, love you all and I’ll try to get another chapter out soon for you.


	3. Explosive Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio gear up for Christmas. This is mostly a filler chapter but things are going to start flying by the end.  
> Also I would like to apologise if I have gotten anything wrong here, I tried my best to write as accurately as possible, but it still is probably wrong somewhere.

The next few months went by peacefully, Peter would come round at least once a week. They felt better knowing he wasn’t afraid to ask for help or have a difficult conversation when he needed guidance.

There was one night where the three of them got a call from Happy, the kid hadn’t returned home. An hour and a half later they found him curled up behind a takeout, battered, broken but alive and healing. A call to Aunt May later and he was dragged back to the apartment for a night on the couch. When May picked him up the next morning, they felt bad for giving him a hard time for not asking for help, cause before May was through with him, his face was definitely trying to tell them to help him.

They had managed to successfully kill some time settling in. Wanda had taught Sam to plait hair, whilst Bucky was their, only partially, unwilling dummy, he secretly enjoyed the human contact. In the evenings Bucky had taught them both to dance to his old records that he found on another trip to the market. Sometimes when Sam wasn’t around, Bucky took the time to teach Wanda to waltz, apparently her father had tried to teach her by having her stand on his feet, Bucky was glad to help her relive a fond memory to see her smile. 

One of Sam’s biggest regrets came from just a simple Sunday morning question, “So Bucky, Barnes and Noble, that anything to do with you and Cap? Or a mere coincidence?” Both Wanda and Bucky looked back at him from the couch, mouths full of cereal with almost the same questioning look on their faces.  
“Barnes and Noble?”  
“Oh, the book store?” Wanda finally got what Sam was getting at, turning to stare Bucky down waiting for an answer.  
It took some explaining, and a quick google to find out that it was not named after the pair, much to their disappointment. But now they all had books on their minds. A day trip out for the trio, led to regular visits for Bucky, and as much as they wanted to support his integration into the modern world, the apartment was beginning to look like a public library. Books were on the coffee table, the kitchen table, in the bathroom, holding doors open, Sam swear he found the Shining in the fridge one morning.

As December rolls forward, Bucky became more and more enamoured with Christmas movies. Every time he went out on his own, Sam and Wanda would place bets on the sort of decoration he would come back with next.  
“When is he going to buy a tree?” Sam asked, it was the new shared paranoia that he would walk in one day with a tree 20 feet tall and the biggest grin on his face. They both shivered. Hanukkah was nearly over so Wanda was safe in the knowledge that her holiday wasn’t tacky. Meanwhile the place was looking more like Santa’s grotto.  
The day had arrived, they could hear Bucky coming down the hall, the unmistakable sound of a tree being dragged behind him. Wanda and Sam both stood in the main room watching the door, they took a deep breath when they saw the lock turn, the apprehension was unbearable, what were they going to do with Bucky’s monster tree.  
Bucky walked in, the happiest of smiles on his face, he was so proud of himself, and in came the dreaded tree.  
“Ta-da” he said as he presented it to the pair, who were barely hiding their relief. It was tiny, just hitting four foot, frankly it was adorable. Sam was so happy he did something that to this day he will not admit to doing.  
“Nice one, I love it.” He complimented Bucky whilst slapping him on the shoulder. The worlds cutest tree was decorated and displayed proudly in the main room, adorned in red, white and blue baubles. 

December 23rd, they hosted a mini Christmas dinner, on the guest list were, Peter, his Aunt, who bought Happy cause apparently there’s something there, and two of Peters friends, one of them he seemed very close to, Bucky was definitely going to ask later if something was going on there, who spent most of the night trying to play it cool.

“You did not!” Ned was his name, couldn’t help but squeal when he found out some of the old training routines of the avengers.  
“She did, I saw it, best training ever, seeing Steve being launched into a wall, even Natasha laughed, she dropped the mat off the balcony he was meant to land on. Seriously, she did, she really laughed.” Wanda learning to throw Steve around with her powers was always going to be Sam’s favourite story, the mighty Captain America had face planted every surface in the gym by the time they got it right.  
“How did you even find out you could move a person around?” MJ asked, completely fascinated with the female avenger.  
Wanda went red faced, as Sam and Bucky started sniggering into their wine glasses, “Clint beat me in Mario kart, and I might have accidentally thrown him over the back of the couch.” Full blown table banging laughter came out from behind the wine glasses, MJ just looked impressed at the response.  
Crackers pulled, party hats worn and many board games later, the guests left for the night. Sam produced another three bottles of wine from the kitchen so they could carry on into Christmas Eve. They ending up calling it for the night after twister ended with Bucky crying with laughter as Sam and Wanda were stuck on the floor having falling over when Sam tried to do the splits to make his move. Sam crawled into bed and started snoring within seconds, a happy look on his face and his novelty cracker ring still on his finger. Bucky packed away the games, and Wanda went to clean off her makeup from going to bed herself. 

“Targets identified and separated, all units OPEN FIRE” came the crackle across three radios in the surrounding buildings, as their red dots tracked their way across the walls of the apartment in their sight lines.

The avengers night was going to take a astounding turn. Sobering immediately, they ducked for cover as the windows shattered and the walls were being peppered with bullets.

**Author's Note:**

> I have a planned laid out for this story so I should be much more consistent with updates compared with my last attempt at writing. So with any luck I’ll see you soon.


End file.
